The present invention relates to a device for monitoring a plurality of systems of an aircraft, especially of a transport aircraft.
More particularly, although not exclusively, the said monitoring device is a centralized device of the ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring) type which automatically monitors a plurality of systems (engines, control surfaces, etc.) of the aircraft and which informs the crew of the status of these systems.
It is known that such a monitoring device especially includes at least:
a monitoring device for monitoring the said systems and for detecting any failure of one of the said systems; and
display means linked to the said monitoring unit and capable of presenting, on at least one visual-display screen:
information relating to the monitoring of the said systems; and
upon detection of a failure of one of the said systems, information relating to the said failure, as well as to a corresponding failure-handling procedure comprising a list of actions having to be carried out by at least one operator.
In general, the said display means present the following types of information, in particular:
block diagrams representing the various systems monitored;
information warning of a possible failure, especially when a particular parameter which is monitored approaches its limit values or exceeds them. In this case, in general, the said display means display a page presenting this parameter which, moreover, is highlighted by flashing, in order to draw the attention of the crew;
messages relating to particular functions (for example the de-icing of the engines) which can be activated temporarily and which are activated in this instance. These messages are, needless to say, displayed only at the time when the corresponding functions are still activated; and
regulatory information, such as the thrust of the engines, the quantity of fuel remaining or the aerodynamic configuration, which for their part are displayed permanently.
Moreover, when a failure of a system is detected by such a monitoring device, the device:
alerts the crew by audible and/or visual means;
identifies the failure and displays the block diagram corresponding to the failed system, on the said visual-display screen. All the displays indicated below are formed on the said visual-display screen;
checks whether the failure is isolated or whether other systems are affected by this failure and, if appropriate, displays the list of the systems which are also affected;
displays the corresponding failure-handling procedure, comprising a plurality of particular actions which have to be carried out by an operator or the crew of the aircraft, in order to isolate the failure and deal with it so as to be able to carry on with the flight;
manages the said failure-handling procedure as and when the operator or the crew carry out the various actions, deleting an action from the visual-display screen automatically as soon as it detects that this action has been carried out; and
when the failure has been dealt with, displays an operational status report for the aircraft, particularly comprising the limitations to be complied with (maximum speed, maximum altitude, etc.) for the remainder of the flight, the systems and/or the functions which are inoperative, etc.
Such a monitoring device exhibits a few drawbacks. In particular, when carrying out a fault-handling procedure which is presented and managed by the said monitoring device:
when an action has been carried out, it automatically disappears from the visual-display screen. Consequently, among the operators of the aircraft (pilot, co-pilot), the operator who is not occupied with the failure-handling procedure (and sometimes even the operator who is occupied with it), does not always know what action or actions has or have been carried out and deleted, and therefore has trouble in evaluating the actual progress of the said failure-handling procedure; and, moreover
since, in the usual way, the carrying out of certain actions is not detected automatically, that is to say cannot be detected by the said monitoring device, such an action (the carrying-out of which cannot be detected) still remains displayed on the visual-display screen, even if it has actually been carried out. In this case, the operator or the crew has to memorize all the actions (which are not detected automatically) which he has actually carried out, which requires sustained attention on his part.
The present invention relates to a monitoring device of the type described above, which makes it possible to remedy the above-mentioned drawbacks.
To that end, according to the invention, the said monitoring device of the type comprising at least:
a monitoring unit for monitoring the said systems and for detecting any failure of one of the said systems; and
display means linked to the said monitoring unit and capable of presenting, on at least one visual-display screen, information relating to the monitoring of the said systems, and, upon detection of a failure of one of the said systems, information relating to the said failure, as well as at least one corresponding failure-handling procedure comprising at least a list of actions having to be carried out by at least one operator;
is noteworthy in that the said display means, upon detection of a failure and at least throughout the corresponding failure-handling procedure, display, on the said visual-display screen, at least:
information identifying the said failure-handling procedure;
if appropriate, a list of the actions already carried out relating to the said failure-handling procedure; and
if appropriate, a list of the actions still having to be carried out relating to the said failure-handling procedure, highlighting the next action having to be carried out;
and in that the said monitoring device further includes an information means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to inform the said monitoring device, if appropriate, of the carrying-out of at least one particular action relating to the said failure-handling procedure.
Thus, by virtue of the invention, the various operators (pilot, co-pilot, etc.) continuously and precisely know the actions already carried out and those still having to be carried out, and thus the state of progress of the failure-handling procedure, without having to memorize these actions, which, needless to say, increases the comfort of the operators in the carrying out of these actions, allows them to focus their attention and their memory on other information, and avoids unnecessary actions and/or checks.
Moreover, the information which is presented by the display means precisely illustrates the actual state of progress of the failure-handling procedure, since, by virtue of the said information means, the operator can inform the monitoring device of the carrying-out of a particular action (of the above-mentioned undetectable type) which the latter would not have been able to detect automatically. The monitoring device thus knows precisely which are the actions which have been carried out, either because it has actually detected them being carried out, or because the operator has informed it that these actions have been carried out.
According to the invention, the said display means, while a plurality of failure-handling procedures exist, display all the said procedures on the visual-display screen in an order of priority, and the said monitoring device further includes a means for indicating, on the said visual-display screen, the procedure to be dealt with, that is to say which has to be dealt with in priority from among all the procedures displayed. This makes it possible, in a stressful situation, to guide the pilot in carrying out the procedures. This is particularly advantageous by comparison with certain usual devices which present the list of the various procedures to be performed and ask the pilot to choose which one he will deal with first.
Furthermore, advantageously, the said display means present, on the said visual-display screen, when a failure-handling procedure is terminated, at least one characteristic sign signaling the completion of this failure-handling procedure, and the said monitoring device further includes a deletion means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to delete from the said visual-display screen all the information relating to a failure-handling procedure.
Moreover, advantageously, the said display means continuously present on the said visual-display screen the new limitations to be complied with by reason of a failure, as soon as these new limitations are known. Thus, despite the alterations which might have been generated by the failure, the crew is kept permanently informed of the limitations to be complied with for the remainder of the flight, which is a guarantee of safety.
It is known that certain failure-handling procedures comprise conditional stages, that is to say that the action or actions to be carried out at such a (conditional) stage depend on at least one particular condition (for example xe2x80x9cif condition X is satisfied, then carry out action A, otherwise carry out action Bxe2x80x9d). To that end, it is necessary to know whether a particular condition is or is not satisfied, or which condition among several is satisfied. However, the monitoring device is not always in a position to identify the actual condition automatically. In such a situation, with the usual monitoring devices, it is up to the operator to determine the actions to be carried out and those to be ignored.
According to the invention, the said monitoring device further includes a selection means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter, in a conditional failure-handling procedure comprising a plurality of conditions, to select one of the said conditions, and the said display means present, on the said visual-display screen, the various possible conditions and highlight the actions to be carried out for a particular condition, on the said visual-display screen, after the selection of this condition by way of the said selection means. Consequently, it is sufficient for the operator to select the appropriate condition and the display means present him with the actions having to be carried out for the condition thus selected. The function of help with the handling of the failure is thus enhanced by the present invention.
Moreover, the said monitoring device advantageously includes a cancellation means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter, if appropriate, to cancel the previous selection of a condition in a conditional failure-handling procedure.
Moreover, advantageously, the said monitoring device further includes a deletion means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to delete information presented on the said visual-display screen, and the said display means highlight, on the said visual-display screen, among the information which is presented there, the information which is capable of being deleted by the said deletion means. Thus, the operator knows exactly the information which he can delete with the aid of the said deletion means. This makes it possible to prevent him accidentally deleting information which may be useful for the remainder of the flight.
Furthermore, advantageously, the monitoring device in accordance with the invention further includes an information means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to inform the said monitoring device of the occurrence of a failure, and an interrogation means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to ask the said monitoring device to have the display means present, on the said visual-display screen, the failure-handling procedure relating to the said failure. This makes it possible to take into account failures or incidents which cannot be detected by the monitoring device, but which can be detected by an operator, such as the presence of a cracked windscreen, for example.
In one particular embodiment, the monitoring device in accordance with the invention further includes an interrogation means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to request supplementary information relating to a failure, and the said display means present, on the said visual-display screen, supplementary information relating to a failure, in response to an actuation of the said interrogation means by the said operator.
Furthermore, advantageously, the said display means present, on the said visual-display screen, for a failure-handling procedure, if appropriate, deferred actions corresponding to actions having to be carried out subsequently, and the said monitoring device further includes a validation means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to validate these deferred actions so as to carry them out (immediately) upon the said validation.
In one particular embodiment, the monitoring device in accordance with the invention further includes a database comprising lists of operations to be verified (xe2x80x9ccheck listsxe2x80x9d) and means, automatic or manual, making it possible to control the said display means so that they present, on the said visual-display screen, at least one of the said lists. These are lists of operations to be verified, which are generally drawn up on the basis of recommendations made by the constructor of the airplane, and which are adapted to the specific wishes of the airlines. These lists of operations to be verified are usually found on a paper medium, and their presentation in accordance with the invention on the visual-display screen makes it possible to facilitate reading them and making use of them.
The monitoring device in accordance with the invention preferably further includes means for automatically correcting these lists of operations to be verified, upon a failure, so as to take into account effects generated by this failure on the said lists.
Furthermore, for reasons of safety, the said monitoring device further includes a validation means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to validate information which he has supplied to the said monitoring device.
Advantageously, moreover, the said monitoring device further includes:
a recall means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter:
by a first actuation, to recall to the visual-display screen, if appropriate, the last procedure deleted; and
by a second actuation, to recall to the visual-display screen, if appropriate, all the procedures deleted since the start of the flight of the aircraft; and/or
a recall means capable of being actuated by the said operator and allowing the latter to recall to the visual-display screen, if appropriate, all the deferred actions which have been deleted and which have not yet been carried out.